social media diplomacy

After the internet mocked the picture of US President Donald Trump signing the travel ban executive order, Swedish Deputy PM and Climate Minister has taken a dig at another similar picture. Isabella Lövin posted a picture of her signing an order with a queue of female ministers standing behind her. The image is seen as a parody of the picture of President Trump signing an anti-abortion executive order with a line of male ministers standing behind him.

What's on Weibo, an independent blog that reports on social and cultural trends in China, recently released a list of the top five embassies with the largest number of followers on Sina Weibo, China's most influential micro-blogging platform. The Israeli embassy tops the list with over 1.91 million followers, which are 800,000 more than the Canadian embassy, the second on the list, and almost double that of the US embassy, which sits at No. 3.

From PR to much-needed buzz for new projects, social media has become the tool of choice for artists around the world. This year, more than before, Nigerian artists will catch on fully. [...] Looking across the cultural landscape in Nigeria, it is therefore a no-brainer that the internet will play a crucial role in shaping the year that’s to come, for both the artists and their teeming fans.